Railroad tie doweling machine



Nov. 22, 1966 R. HUGHES 3,286,649

RAILROAD TIE DOWELING MACHINE Filed Jan. 26, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. I.

IN V EN TOR.

RALPH HUGHES WITNESS By K ATTORNEY Nov. 22, 1966 R. HUGHES RAILROAD TIE DOWELING MACHINE Filed Jan. 26, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7| 3% INVENTOR. RALPH HUGHES WITNESS H M h if' ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,286,649 RAILROAD TIE DOWELING MACHINE Ralph Hughes, Graysville, Tenn., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Singer Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Jan. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 168,947 16 Claims. (Cl. 104-17) The present invention relates to a railroad tie doweling machine, and has for an object to provide such a machine which is capable of doweling railroad ties in place in a railroad roadbed. Through deterioration, railroad ties become unserviceable and, after a period of years must be replaced. Replacement of a railroad tie is expensive not only because of the cost of the tie but also because of the labor. Splitting at the ends of the ties hastens deterioration and it has heretofore been known that doweling the ends of the ties to prevent splitting significantly prolonged the useful life of a tie and thus constituted a substantial savings in the maintenance of a roadbe-d. However, all prior rail-road tie doweling machines have been limited to use with loose ties and have therefore been limited to doweling ties before they are laid in a roadbed. There are.innumerable undoweled ties in use and it is the object of this invention to provide a machine to close and dowel the split ends of such ties while they are in place on the roadbed.

A further object of this invention is to dowel a railroad tie in a manner to provide a stronger holding action between the tie and the dowel which will prevent opening of the split end of the tie in view of the punishing use to which such ties are subjected and the continued deterioration of such ties.

Further objects of this invention are to provide a railroad tie doweling machine which is relatively simple and inexpensive, dependable, efiicient, and can be operated with a minimum of labor.

Having in mind the above and other objects that will be evident from an understanding of this disclosure, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts as illustrated in the presently preferred embodiment of the invention which is hereinafter set forth in such detail as to enable those skilled in the art readily to understand the function, operation, construction and advantages of it when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a railroad car embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view partly broken away, and illustrating the tie engaging portion of the machine of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 and illustrating the mechanism in the dowel driving rather than the drilling position.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

With reference to the drawings, the present invention is illustrated as embodied in a railroad car having a bed 1 which is supported upon flanged Wheels 2 for mounting the same upon the rails 3. A source of power in the form of an internal combustion engine 4 is mounted upon the bed 1 and, through a clutch mechanism 5, drives a hydraulic pump 6. The hydraulic system also includes a fluid reservoir '7. The pump 6 is used to propel the car along the rails 3 through a hydraulic motor (not shown) which is coupled to the axle of the rear pair of ice the wheels 2, and is also used as the source of power for the other mechanism. To facilitate setting the car off the rails 3, there is provided a carriage 8 having flanged wheels 9 for engaging the rails. A hydraulic cylinder 10 is used to raise the car off the rails onto the carriage 8, the car being pivotally mounted on the carriage to permit it to be swung to a position at right angles to the track and thus into alignment with the set-01f rails. The car can be moved along on the wheels 9 to position the wheels 2 on the set-off rails.

\ A frame 11 is mounted on the bed at 1 at the front for pivotal movement about a vertical axis defined by a pivot 12 disposed at the transverse center of the car. The frame 11 is provided with angled wheels 13 on the forward portion thereof and riding on a plate 14 on the bed 1 to permit free swinging of the frame 11 about the pivot 12. A boom 15 is mounted on the frame 11 for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis defined by the pivot 16 and disposed intermediate the ends of the boom. The pivot 16 is disposed intermediate the ends of the boom 15 to define oppositely extending arms 17 and 18. The arm 17 is provided with a cross pin 19 that is connected to the piston rod 20 of a hydraulic cylinder 21 mounted on the frame 11, whereby actuation of the cylinder 21 will pivot the boom about the pivot 16 to raise and lower the free end of the arm 18.

At the free end of the arm 18 there is provided a head 22 that rotatably supports a pin 23. The head 22 is pivotally mounted on the arm 18 by trunnions 24 and is maintained pivotally about the axis thereof to hold the pin 23 vertical as the arm 18 is raised and lowered about the pivot 16 by a pantograph arm 25 connected at one end to the frame 11 and at the other end to a crank arm 26 on the trunnions 24.

A doweling unit 27 is mounted upon the free end of the arm 18 by a bracket 28 secured to and depending from the pin 23 and consisting essentially of a pair of spaced plates 29. The plates 29 each include a laterally extending portion 30, a depending portion 31, and a horizontal portion 32 to the free end of which is secured a transverse plate 33 that is inclined so that a line normal thereto extends upwardly and outwardly therefrom at an acute angle to the horizontal. The work, that is, the tie 34, is clamped during the doweling operation by a clamping mechanism comprising a stationary clamping foot 35 on the underside of the plate 33 and adapted to engage one face of a tie 34. Opposed to the stationary clamping foot 35 is a movable clamping foot 36 pivotally mounted on the lower end of a lever 37 that is in turn pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on a pivot pin 38 extending between the plates 29. The upper end of the lever 37 is connected by a transverse pin 39 to the piston rod 40 of a hydraulic cylinder 41 which is mounted upon a transverse pivot pin 42 disposed between the plates 29. Thus, when fluid under pressure is applied to the cylinder 41, the lever 37 is pivoted about its pivot axis at the pin 38 to advance the clamping foot 36 toward the foot 35, thereby compressing a tie 34 disposed between them to close any cracks in the tie.

A cradle 43 is mounted upon the upper face of the plate 33 and comprises end plates 44 and 45, and three spaced parallel plates extending between them, namely, outer plates 46 and 47 and an intermediate plate 48. The end plate 44 is in face-to-face engagement with the plate 33 and is supported thereon for swinging movement by a pivot pin 49 and a block 50 having an arcuate upper edge 51 concentric about the pivot pin 49 and conforms in configuration to and is engaged by the lower edge of the plate 44. The cradle 43 is adapted to be swung about the pivot pin 49 from a drilling position to a dowel driving position by a hydraulic cylinder 52 connected to the plate 33 and having a piston rod 53 connected to the plate 44. Stops 54 are provided to limit swinging movement of the plate 44 to position the cradle accurately in the drilling and doweling positions.

The drilling mechanism is mounted on the cradle 43 between the outer plate 46 and intermediate plate 48 and comprises a frame 55 mounted on said plates for sliding movement longitudinally thereof. Sliding movement is imparted to the frame 55 by a hydraulic cylinder 56 mounted on the end plate 45 and having a piston rod 57 connected to the frame. Mounted in the frame 55 is a fluid motor 58 having on the drive shaft thereof a chuck 59 for mounting a rotary drill bit 60. With the cradle in the drilling position, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the frame 55 is advanced by the cylinder 56, the bit 60 moves through aligned holes 61 and 62 in the plates 33 and 44 into engagement with the tie 34 and thus bores a hole therein for a dowel.

The dowel-driving mechanism is mounted on the cradle 43 between the outer plate 47 and the intermediate plate 48 and comprises a dowel-support 63 extending longitudinally in the space between the plates and supported at its ends by the plates 44 and 45 and intermediate its ends by a transverse support 64 carried by the plates 47 and 48. The dowel-support 63 has an enlarged portion 65 at the end adjacent to the plate 44, which portion has an upwardly open slot 66 that communicates with a bore 67 extending longitudinally through the support 63. The slot 66 is designed to receive a dowel 66 dropped therein. Operating in the bore 67 is a dowel-driving rod 69 that is driven by a hydraulic cylinder 70 carried by the end plate 45 of the cradle. The mechanism is designed that, when the cradle is shifted by the cylinder 52 from the drilling position to the dowel-driving position, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the rod 69 is aligned axially with the hole 61 in the plates 33 and with the previously drilled bore 71 in the tie 34. Thus, when the dowel-driving rod 69 is advanced, a dowel 68 that had been loaded into the slot 66 is forced through an opening 72 in the plate 44, through the opening 61, and into the bore 71 in the tie.

As noted above, the plate 33 is inclined such that a line normal thereto extends at an acute angle to the horizontal. This inclination is made such that the acute angle is substantially equal to the angle defined by a line extending diagonally of a tie 34 between the opposite corners thereof, or about thirty-five degrees. Thus, the tie is doweled diagonally from corner to corner which not only provides for convenient access to the tie in view of the spacing of the tie relative to adjacent ties, but also provides a more secure doweling in that the stresses are applied at an angle rather than merely endwise of the dowel and the dowel will hold against diagonal as well as vertical splitting of the tie.

The doweling unit 43 is adapted to be swung about the axis of the pin 23 between the dotted and full line positions as illustrated in FIG. 4, thus adapting the unit for doweling the tie diagonally in opposite directions. To space the dowels slightly endwise of the tie, the pivot pin 49 is offset from the center line of the pin 23, indicated at C in FIGS. 3 and 5, so that when the unit 43 is swung about the -pin 23, the pivot 49 is disposed upon opposite sides of the center line C. The boom 15 is adapted to be swung about its pivot at 12 to place the unit in operative position relative to both ends of the tie.

The machine is adapted to be operated by a single operator, and for this purpose, a set of controls as indicated at 72 is mounted adjacent to the end of the boom 15. From this point, the operator can control the movement of the car along the rails as well as the operation of the cylinder 21 for raising and lowering the boom, the clamping cylinder 41, the cylinder 56 for advancing and retracting the drilling mechanism, the cylinder 52 for shifting the cradle 43 between the drilling and doweling positions, and the dowel-driving cylinder 70. When the car is to be moved along the rails for an appreciable distance, the operator rides on the car, as for example, seated on the reservoir 7, and duplicate controls (not shown) for operating the car are provided for this purpose.

In operation, by the controls 72, the operator moves the car along the rails into position with respect to a tie to be doweled. The boom 15 is then swung about the pivot 12 to place the doweling unit 27 over the end of the tie and the cylinder 21 is actuated to lower the free end of the boom to place the doweling unit into operative position relative to the tie. The clamping cylinder 41 is actuated to clamp the tie and to close the cracks therein, after which the drilling mechanism is advanced to bore the hole 71 in the tie and retracted, the cradle 43 is shifted by the cylinder 52 from the drilling to the doweling positions, and the cylinder 70 is actuated to force a dowel 68 previously dropped into the slot 66 into the bore 71. When this is completed, the clamping mechanism is released, the boom 15 is raised by the cylinder 21, the doweling unit 27 is swung about the pivot 23, and the operation is repeated to dowel the tie diagonally in the direction opposite to that of the first placed dowel. The boom 15 is then raised and may be swung about the pivot 12 to dowel the opposite end of the same tie, or the car may be jogged into operative position with respect to another tie.

Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to a preferred embodiment of my invention which is for purposes of illustratioin only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what I claim herein is:

1. A railroad tie doweling machine to be mounted upon a railroad track and to dowel the end of a tie under the track comprising a car, a source of power, a doweling unit, support means for mounting said doweling unit upon said car for movement between an operative position relative to the tie and an inoperative position above the tie, said doweling unit comprising a clamping mechanism for transversely compressing the tie, a drilling mechanism having a rotary drilling element movable endwise on an axis transversely of the tie and mounted on said unit for movement between a drilling position relative to the tie and an inoperative position, a dowel-driving mechanism having an endwise-movable dowel-driving rod and mounted on said unit for movement between a dowel-driving position wherein said rod is disposed in axial alignment with the hole drilled in the tie by said drilling element and an inoperative position, and means operatively connecting said source of power to said support means for actuating the same to move said doweling unit between said operative and inoperative positions and to said clamping and drill ing and dowel-driving mechanism for actuating the same.

2. A railroad tie doweling machine to be mounted upon a railroad track and to dowel the end of a tie under the track comprising a car, a doweling unit, means for mounting said doweling unit upon said car for movement between an operative position relative to the tie and an inoperative position above the tie, said doweling unit comprising a clamping mechanism for transversely ompressing the tie, a drilling mechanism having an endwise-movablerotary drilling element and mounted on said unit for movement between a drilling position wherein said drilling element is disposed with the axis thereof at an acute angle to the horizontal for drilling a hole diagonally in the tie substantially from corner to corner of the clamped portion of the tie and an inoperative position, and a dowel-driving mechanism having an endwise-movable dowel-driving rod and mounted on said unit for movement between a doweldriving position wherein said rod is disposed in axial alignment with the hole drilled in the tie by said drilling element and an inoperative position.

3. A railroad tie doweling machine to be mounted upon a railroad track and to dowel the end of a tie under the track comprising a car, a doweling unit, means for mounting said doweling unit upon said car for movement between an operative position relative to the tie and an inoperative position above the tie, said doweling unit comprising a bracket, a clamping mechanism comprising a stationary clamping foot on said bracket and a movable clamping foot mounted on said bracket in opposition to said stationary clamping foot and adapted to compress a tie transversely against the same, a cradle, a drilling mechanism mounted on said cradle for endwise movement, a dowel-driving mechanism having an endwise movement dowel-driving rod, and means for mounting said cradle on said bracket for pivotal movement between a drilling position wherein said drilling mechanism is disposed on an axis at an acute angle to the horizontal for drilling a hole diagonally substantially corner to corner in the clamped portion of the tie and a dowel-driving position in which said dowel-driving rod is disposed in axial alignment with the hole in the tie drilled by said drilling mechanism.

4. A railroad tie doweling machine to be mounted upon a railroad track and to dowel the end of a tie under the track comprising a car, a source of power on the car, means for coupling said source of power to said car for propelling said car along the track, a doweling unit, support means for mounting said doweling unit upon said car for movement between an operative position relative to the tie and an inoperative position above the tie, said doweling unit comprising a clamping mechanism for transversely compressing the tie, a drilling mechanism having an endwisemovable rotary drilling element and mounted on said unit for movement between a drilling position relative to the tie and an inoperative position, a dowel-driving mechanism having an endwise-movable dowel-driving rod and mounted on said unit for movement between a doweldriving position wherein said rod is disposed in axial alignment with the hole drilled in the tie by said drilling element and an inoperative position, and drive means operatively connected to said source of power and to said support means for raising and lowering said doweling unit, to said clamping mechanism for actuating the same, and to said drilling and dowel-driving mechanism to advance and retract said drilling element and said rod.

5. A railroad tie doweling machine in accordance with claim 4 in which there is provided control means for said coupling means and for said drive means for controlling the operation of each of said means, said control means being disposed in a bank on said support means adjacent to said doweling unit.

6. A railroad tie doweling machine to be mounted upon a railroad track and to dowel the end of a tie under the track comprising a car, a source of power on the car, means for coupling said source of power to said car for propelling the car along the track and for generating a source of fluid pressure, a doweling unit, support means for mounting said doweling unit upon said car for movement between an operative position relative to the tie and an inoperative position above the tie, said doweling unit comprising a clamping mechanism for transversely compressing the tie, a drilling mechanism having an endwise-movable rotary drilling element and mounted on said unit for movement between a drilling position relative to the tie and an inoperative position, a dowel-driving mechanism having an endwise-movable dowel-driving rod and mounted on said unit for movement between a dowel-driving position wherein said rod is disposed in axial alignment with the hole drilled in the tie by said drilling element and an inoperative position, fluid pressure means operatively con- 6 nected to said source of fluid pressure for actuating said support means to raise and lower said doweling unit, to said clamping mechanism for actuating the same, and to said drilling and dowel-driving mechanisms to advance and retract said drilling element and said rod.

7. A railroad tie doweling machine in accordance with claim 6 in which said drilling mechanism includes a fluid motor for imparting rotation to said drilling element and operating connections between said fluid motor and said source of fluid pressure for actuating said fluid motor.

8. A railroad tie doweling machine in accordance with claim 6 including control means for said coupling means and said fluid pressure means for controlling the operation of each of said means, said control means being disposed in a bank on said support means adjacent to said doweling unit.

9. A railroad tie doweling machine in accordance with claim 6 in which said drilling and dowel-driving mechanisms are mounted on a cradle on said doweling unit and there is provided fluid pressure means for moving said cradle between said drilling and dowel-driving positions.

10. A railroad tie doweling machine to be mounted upon a railroad track and to dowel the end of a tie under the track comprising a car, a source of power, a doweling unit, support means for mounting said doweling unit upon said car for movement between an operative position relative to the tie and an inoperative position above the tie, said doweling unit comprising a clamping mechanism for transversely compressing the tie, a drilling mechanism for drilling a hole through the tie and a dowel-driving mechanism for driving a'dowel into the hole drilled in the tie :by said drilling mechanism, said drilling unit having a rotary drilling element movable endwise on an axis transversely of the tie and said dowel-driving unit having an endwise-movable dowel-driving rod, means operatively connecting said source of power to said clamping mechanism and drilling and dowel-driving mechanisms, and manually-actuated control means disposed adjacent to said doweling unit for actuating said clamping mechanism and said drilling and dowel-driving mechanisms.

11. A railroad tie doweling machine in accordance with claim 10 in which said rotary drilling element is disposed with the axis thereof at an acute angle to the horizontal for drilling a hole diagonally in the tie substantially from corner to corner of the clamped portion of the tie.

12. An apparatus for reinforcing a railway crosstie Without removing the tie from the road bed of the railway comprising a vehicle, drill means for drilling a hole in the crosstie between one of its ends and the adjacent rail mounted on said tie, and pressing means for pressing a dowel pin into the hole, said drilling means and pressing means being carried by said vehicle.

13. An apparatus in accord with claim 12 further comprising means for clamping the crosstie between said one end and the adjacent rail to close wood separations in said tie.

14. An apparatus for reinforcing a railway crosstie without removing the tie from the road bed, comprising a frame, tie clamping means suspended from said frame for closing wood separations between one end of the tie and the adjacent rail of the railway, a drill connected to said frame and operable to drill a substantially transversely and diagonally inclined hole in said tie, between said end and the adjacent rail, and means for pressing a dowel pin into said hole in said tie, said pressing means being carried by said frame.

15. An apparatus for reinforcing a railway crosstie without removing the tie from the road :bed comprising a narrow upright frame adapted to be positioned transversely of and on the upper face of the tie between one of the ends of the tie and the rail adjacent thereto, 'with an end portion of the tie in front of the frame, tie clamping means suspended beneath said frame for closing wood separations in said end portion, drill means swingably connected to the frame. and swingable to a working position from another position remote therefrom for drilling a substantially diagonally inclined and transversely extending hole in the end portion of said tie, and dowel pin pressing means for pressing a dowel pin int-o said hole, said pressing means being supported by said frame adjacent to said drill working position and being movable into a working position to press a dowel pin into said hole and further movable away from the Working position to a position remote from its working position to thereby enable said drill means to assume its working position.

16. In an apparatus for reinforcing a railway crosstie without removing the tie from the road bed, the combination of a drill, a guide for the tool end of said drill, means connected to the guide for positioning the guide on the tie and means connected to the drill and to said positioning means for forcing the tool end of the drill along an axis which extends transversely to and substantially diagonally through the tie.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Jetley et al. 1302 Dunn et al 104263 X Edwards 14432 Jackson 10417 Mann et al 1442 Anguera 1-344 Talboys 104263 X Berry 105-215 Fulham 1-302 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

15 JAMES S. SHANK, LEO QUACKENBUSH, GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, JR., Examiners.

M. J..HILL, R. A. BERTSCH, Assistant Examiners. 

1. A RAILROAD TIE DOWELING MACHINE TO BE MOUNTED UPON A RAILROAD TRACK AND TO DOWEL THE END OF A TIE UNDER THE TRACK COMPRISING A CAR, A SOURCE OF POWER, A DOWELING UNIT, SUPPORT MEANS FOR MOUNTING SAID DOWELING UNIT UPON SAID CAR FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN OPERATIVE POSITION RELATIVE TO THE TIE AND AN INOPERATIVE POSITION ABOVE THE TIE, SAID DOWELING UNIT COMPRISING A CLAMPING MECHANISM FOR TRANSVERSELY COMPRESSING THE TIE, THE DRILLING MECHANISM HAVING A ROTARY DRILLING ELEMENT MOVABLE ENDWISE ON AN AXIS TRANSVERSELY OF THE TIE AND MOUNTED ON SAID UNIT FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A DRILLING POSITION RELATIVE TO THE TIE AND AN INOPERATIVE POSITION, A DOWEL-DRIVING MECHANISM HAVING AN ENDWISE-MOVABLE DOWEL-DRIVING ROD AND MOUNTED ON SAID UNIT FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A DOWEL-DRIVING POSITION WHEREIN SAID ROD IS DISPOSED IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE HOLE DRILLED IN THE TIE BY SAID DRILLING ELEMENT AND AN INOPERATIVE POSITION, AND MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID SOURCE OF POWER TO SAID SUPPORT MEANS FOR ACTUATING THE SAME TO MOVE SAID DOWELING UNIT BETWEEN SAID OPERATIVE AND INOPERATIVE POSITIONS AND TO SAID CLAMPING AND DRILLING AND DOWEL-DRIVING MECHANISM FOR ACTUATING THE SAME. 